Silver tells ESPN major changes in international play unlikely

Commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement to ESPN’s Marc Stein on Sunday that the NBA is unlikely to make significant changes with the participation of its players in international competition following the horrific leg injury suffered by Indiana’s Paul George during a USA Basketball scrimmage last Friday in Las Vegas.

“Injuries can happen any place at any time,” Silver said. “The experiences our players have enjoyed by participating in their national teams, however, are ones that are unique and special in almost every other way. At this point, I don’t anticipate a major shift in the NBA’s participation in international competitions.”

Silver did say, however, that the subject would be a on the docket for discussion when the NBA competition committee meets in September.

George suffered the worst injury since NBA players began representing the U.S. in 1992 during an intra-squad scrimmage in preparation for the upcoming FIBA Basketball World Cup in Spain. The All-Star small forward’s lower right leg buckled at a near 90 degree angle upon landing after trying to block James Harden’s shot. No timetable has been released, but the injury — which required surgery — could keep George out for the entire 2014-15 season.

The incident renewed scrutiny over the use of NBA players in international play, with an unnamed GM telling Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports that it could be a “game-changer.” That had less to do with George’s injury, generally viewed as a freak accident, than the wear-and-tear incurred by regular participants, particularly among foreign teams upon which star players shoulder heavier loads than the United States.

Such concerns have been particularly prevalent in San Antonio, with Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili playing major roles for France and Argentina, respectively.

Combined with the NBA playoffs, Parker has played the equivalent of an extra regular season over the past three years before taking this summer off. Ginobili had every intention of playing for Argentina at the World Cup despite a stress fracture in his lower right leg before the Spurs invoked a clause preventing NBA players from playing internationally if there was reasonable risk of “substantial risk of injury, illness or other harm.”